“Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.” Those aren’t just famous words spoken by the great Jim Valvano, but words to live by in lead generation.

As Noah discusses below, following up, even when someone has shot you down for a current project, can bring new light. Just because a homeowner wasn’t ready for their flooring project in January doesn’t mean they are not interested in redoing their floors this summer.

As such, reconnecting with old customers is always a smart decision. See why and how below!

We’re all very busy these days, but it’s imperative we stay up-to-date with professional industry news and trends. Being too busy isn’t a good excuse to fall behind in your industry. Educating yourself on construction trends and marketing tactics will help you stay ahead of your competition and, if nothing else, help you win more jobs.

You want to be knowledgeable when interacting with homeowners and other contractors. Using online tools and resources is a great way to get informed so you can showcase your expertise to clients. Prove that you’ve done your homework and that you’re the right person for the job.

Lead generation is always a two-way street. Homeowners are coming in and contractors are coming out. Too often, we forget about the homeowner perspective and solely focus on the contractor side of the street. Not today.

CraftJack recently made some improvements to your profile as well as the profile match page homeowners see as they search for available contractors. Watch below as Noah goes over all the changes that should improve your close ratio and ROI.

If you have any questions about your profile, please email us as support@craftjack.com.

When it comes to deciding how much you should charge for your labor, there are a number of components to consider. Basically, these include salary, load, burden and profit. Let’s walk through the process of building a “Sell Rate” for your company.

Salary

We will begin by taking a journeyman painter who, just as an example, makes $21.71 per hour. To that salary, you will need to add the other items mentioned below.

Load

The term “load”, or “burden,” is used to describe several expenses that are related to employee salaries. Normally, these include federal government taxes (FICA and FUI), worker’s compensation, state unemployment tax, liability insurance and health insurance benefits. You can check with your accountant or calculate these percentages yourself. Either way, you should be sure to keep them current as they are subject to change. For the purposes of this example, I will plug in a hypothetical number of $6.64 per hour. Adding this to the salary comes out $28.35.

When you buy a compressor, chances are, you’re gonna have it for awhile.

With no external moving parts or whirring blades or fine adjustments to speak of, the work a compressor does is inside its body so there are few moving parts to fool with or break.

I’m not saying you can’t break one—I’ve mangled several— but what I am saying is that they just don’t take the same kind of relentless abuse other tools take. Sort of.

What’s more, if you’re going to buy something that lasts a long time, buying something that serves as many masters as possible is a wise choice. It might take a little outside the box thinking which is where you’ll find my compressor on just about every jobsite.

Having entrenched myself in the marketing arena for over five years now, I have seen quite a few changes. In the old days, billboard signs, newspaper ads, TV commercials and word of mouth marketing reigned supreme. If you wanted to get the word out there, all you had to do was utilize one of these channels.

Today, most of those avenues will not work (with the exception of word of mouth). Consumers are spending more and more time online and therefore, your marketing strategy must adjust. The companies that will withstand the test of time are blogging, interacting with fans on social media, buying digital ads on prominent publications and making YouTube videos. Clearly, these companies are adjusting.

Speed and persistence are key to lead generation, but if you are not prepared for what lies ahead, quickness and tenacity won’t matter. That is because many contractors call potential clients unprepared and end up losing out on that valuable revenue.

Nonetheless, the good news is that you can easily prepare yourself for every referral call you make by answering the following nine questions. For an extra boost of confidence the next time you pick up the phone, prepare by reading through the following questions.

When working as an independent contractor, it’s important to remember that you represent not only yourself, but also a company, a brand. This plays hand in hand with the success and growth of your business. Always make it as clear as possible what services you offer and be sure to advertise your area of expertise.

After you’ve brought awareness to your brand, next is showcasing the value in what you offer. Make sure to shine a light on what differentiates you from the competition, such as innovative techniques you use or rare services you offer.

Following up is a key piece of lead generation. While we would like to get in contact with all our referrals on the first call, reality and stats show that is just not the case.

For all those referrals who you didn’t get in contact with or asked to be contacted next fall, summer, etc, the follow up function in the CraftJack Lead Manager will certainly ease your scheduling woes.

Video is quickly becoming the most popular form of content homeowners engage with. Video lets you provide an experience with storytelling. The medium brings your referrals inside your business. It gives you the upper hand against your competition.

As simple as it is, video is king and fortunately for you, it is very easy to shoot, create, share and market. Watch and read below as we explain all the benefits of video and how you can start shooting quality videos today!

Creating videos for your company, whether done professionally or with equipment you have on hand, is important. Video helps you stand out, builds an experience around your work, and allows you to make an emotional connection with your potential customers.